The father-son rivalry that is Lionel and Lex Luthor hits a dramatic and exciting point in "Asylum." Following Lex's madness in the previous episode "Shattered," Lionel admits Lex to the mental institution Belle Reeve, which largely houses meteor freaks gone mad due to their mutated ability. These meteor-infected include Eric Summers, Ian Randall, and Van, all who have their own personal grudges against Clark, who in reality is largely responsible for their residence there due to previous confrontations with each of them.
At Belle Reeve, during a visit from Clark, Lex lashes out at him to use his secret to get Lex out of the asylum. Clark doesn't confirm or deny Lex's accusation of Clark's secret. Eventually, Lionel despicably tells Lex's psychiatrist to do electroshock therapy on his son, a procedure that wipes seven weeks of memory, but could turn Lex into a vegetable if everything doesn't go perfectly as planned. Clark and Chloe convince the psychiatrist to not do the therapy, but the next day the psychiatrist mysteriously died in a car wreck. Both Clark and Lex find themselves in perilous situations at Belle Reeve before Clark can ward off the vengeful mutants.
This episode illustrates the boundaries that Lionel is wishing to push to erase Lex's investigations of him concerning the death of Lionel's parents. It shows that Lionel truly does not care much for his son, but is more concerned with concealing his past from the world.
At Belle Reeve, during a visit from Clark, Lex lashes out at him to use his secret to get Lex out of the asylum. Clark doesn't confirm or deny Lex's accusation of Clark's secret. Eventually, Lionel despicably tells Lex's psychiatrist to do electroshock therapy on his son, a procedure that wipes seven weeks of memory, but could turn Lex into a vegetable if everything doesn't go perfectly as planned. Clark and Chloe convince the psychiatrist to not do the therapy, but the next day the psychiatrist mysteriously died in a car wreck. Both Clark and Lex find themselves in perilous situations at Belle Reeve before Clark can ward off the vengeful mutants.
This episode illustrates the boundaries that Lionel is wishing to push to erase Lex's investigations of him concerning the death of Lionel's parents. It shows that Lionel truly does not care much for his son, but is more concerned with concealing his past from the world.